The Hardest Part
by ChestyMcBoobs
Summary: We have to tell them eventually. Might as well get it over with. (Sort of a sequel to "Cause and Effect.")
1. Default Chapter

Title: The Hardest Part (1/2)

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters (including Maria. She's made it quite clear that she owns her own damn self, thank you very much.) I'm just borrowing them and will return them when I've had my fun, somewhat dazed and disheveled, but otherwise in their original condition. Also, Maria and I have decided to keep Eric for a while, and we're sending Tim to Yana... Rating: Uh...I dunno...there's some language...PG-13, I guess... Pairings: Eric/Maria 

Summary: "We have to tell them eventually. Might as well get it over with."

Feedback: Hey, you! Yeah, I'm talking to you! You're reading this, right? Well then review it! Come on, pretty pleeeeeease? It only takes a minute or two, and it makes my day. Besides, we both know you've got the time. What else are you going to do, work? Dedication: Yana, for, as always, putting up with my crazy self. Jackie, Tina, Mel, Annie, Dorothy, Nonnie, and all my other loyal reviewers, what would I do without ya'll? I'll tell ya what; I'd stop writing! And that would suck. So, thanks! 

Note: A few people have asked me about the stories that removed. muttermuttergrumble They aren't currently posted anywhere, but if you're interested in reading them (which I'd recommend since they are part of a series) my email can be found in my profile. Do keep in mind, they do contain graphic sex scenes, so let me know if you'd prefer to read an "edited" version.

Other Note: This fic is a detour from my series, but still a part of it, since I couldn't fit these scenes into "Cause and Effect," or into the next story, "Whoever Fights Monsters." It takes place about a month after the end of "Cause and Effect."

Soundtrack: "Everything" by Alanis Morrisette

* * *

"So, you're really going through with this." Tim said, watching Eric straighten his tie.

"We knew it had to happen sooner or later." Eric replied, shrugging. "Might as well be sooner."

"It's a big step." Tim pointed out. "I mean, once you guys have done this-"

"Yeah, we've talked it over." Eric interrupted. "We can't very well avoid her parents for the next six months, and they're going to notice when she starts showing. We gotta tell them eventually. Might as well get it over with." 

"You guys aren't engaged yet, how are they gonna take that?" Tim asked.

"Okay, that's what I'm worried about." Eric admitted. "I mean, you've seen her dad. And her half-brother. And, hell, her sister and half-sister could probably do some damage. And...well, Yolanda probably wouldn't do anything to me physically, but I'll bet she could have me deported or something." He closed his locker and turned around. "How do I look?"

"Like a dead man walking." Tim smirked.

"You're enjoying this a little too much." Eric chuckled. "Any advice?"

"Glad I'm not you, man." Tim said. "And, uh, good luck."

Eric nodded. "Thanks. I think I'm gonna need it."

* * *

I can be a nightmare of the grandest kind  
I can withhold like it's going out of style  
I have the bravest heart that you've ever seen  
And you've never met anyone

As positive as I am sometimes  
  
You see everything, you see every part  
You see all my light and you love my dark  
You dig everything of which I'm ashamed  
There's not anything to which you can't relate  
And you're still here

* * *

"Damn it!" Maria whined, tugging at the zipper in the back of her sundress. "I can't be getting too big for my clothes already, I'm barely three months along!"

"Calm down." Calleigh said soothingly. She stood behind her friend. "It's just stuck. Here, let me get it."

"Thanks." Maria sighed, sitting down on the bench. "I'm nervous."

"Sweetie, your parents love you, and they are crazy about Eric." Calleigh assured her. "They're probably going to be floored at first, sure, but I'm sure that once they see how happy you guys are about this, and how committed and in love you are, they'll be happy for you."

"It's not that easy." Maria said. "Yolanda is a senator, she's running for re-election. Her family is held to a higher standard, whether we like it or not. But there's no way Eric and I are going to get married until we're ready, we already agreed."

"And your family is just going to have to understand that." Calleigh said. "You have to live your own life and do what's right for you."

"Yeah." Maria agreed. She leaned over and hugged her friend. "Thanks, Cal."

* * *

I blame everyone else, not my own partaking  
My passive-aggressiveness can be devastating  
I'm the most gorgeous woman that you've ever known  
And you've never met anyone who's

As everything as I am sometimes

* * *

"We're here." Eric said.

Maria nodded. "Yup. Here we are." She started to unbuckle her seatbelt, then stopped. "We don't have to go in. We could just take off, change our names, and start over."

"Too late, we've been spotted." Eric said, pointing to the opening front door.

"Damn." Maria sighed. She forced a smile and got out of the car. "Hey you guys!" She greeted her parents and half-sister cheerfully.

"Maria." Yolanda reached the couple first and gave her stepdaughter a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Eric, it's good to see you again."

"Likewise, Senator." Eric replied, doing his best to seem casual. "Hello, sir."

"Eric, Maria." Alejandro greeted his daughter and her boyfriend. "Ten-hut!"

"Daddy, chill, it was only funny the first ten or so times." Maria admonished him playfully.

"Yo, what's with the Sunday best?" Lara asked.

"Let's go inside, huh?" Maria suggested, ignoring the question.

* * *

"So, Maria, you said on the phone you had something important to discuss with us." Yolanda said.

Maria noticed that her stepmother was trying to be inconspicuous as she glanced at her left hand. "We're not engaged. Not yet."

"Oh my God." Lara blurted out. "You're knocked up, aren't you?"

"Well, I was going to put it a little more tactfully." Maria said, casting an annoyed glance at the younger woman. "But yes, I am three months pregnant. Eric and I have moved in together, and we're going to have this baby together."

"And I just what to assure you all that I love Maria more than anything." Eric added, reaching over and taking Maria's hand. "And I have every intention of marrying her just as soon as she's ready for that. Nothing in my life is more important now than Maria and our child." 

There was absolute silence in the room for a minute, then Maria cleared her throat and shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "Could somebody please say something?"

"You mean you knocked her up and you haven't married her already?" Lara asked. "Damn, you guys really are a couple of sluts."

"Lara!" Yolanda said sharply. She took a deep breath. "Obviously, Maria, this comes as a shock to us, but what matters is that you're both happy. And it's good to know that there will be a wedding at some point."

"There will be." Maria assured her. She glanced nervously at her father. His expression was absolutely impossible to read. "Daddy? Are you...okay?"

"I don't really have much of a choice." Alejandro finally said. "It would be hypocritical of me to get upset with you two." 

Maria shook her head, confused. "Wait a minute, what?"

* * *

You see everything, you see every part  
You see all my light and you love my dark  
You dig everything of which I'm ashamed  
There's not anything to which you can't relate  
And you're still here

* * *

"Hey, slow down!" Eric said, practically tripping down the front steps as he tried to keep up with Maria. "I think you need to go back in there and talk to your father about this."

"Get in the car!" Maria snapped, climbing into the driver's seat.

"Okay." Eric got into the passenger seat and quickly buckled his seatbelt, not liking the look on Maria's face. "Are you sure you want to be driving when you're this upset?"

"Upset? I'm not upset!" Maria laughed. "I'm a bastard! You know, you'd think that in twenty-five damn years, my dad might have thought to mention it. Just casually even. 'Oh, by the way Maria, thought you might like to know, your mother and I never actually got married.'" 

"Baby, I think you're overreacting a little." Eric said nervously.

"Easy for you to say!" Maria shot back. "You're not a bastard!"

"That's not what Lara just said." Eric joked. 

"Oh my God, this is funny to you, isn't it?" Maria abruptly pulled the car over and practically ripped the key out of the ignition.

"No, baby, it's not funny." Eric reached over and unbuckled her seatbelt, then quickly pulled her into his arms. "It's not funny." He repeated, holding her close as she started to cry.

* * *

What I resist, persists

And speaks louder than I know  
What I resist, you love

No matter how low or high I go

* * *

"Eric, wake up!" Maria whispered.

"What?" Eric groaned sleepily. "Maria, baby, I know you're upset, but you gotta give it a rest or it's gonna fall off or something."

"No, you dope." Maria sighed, hitting him on the shoulder. "We have to get married right away."

"It's two in the morning and we're both naked. I don't think they're gonna let us in the church." Eric yawned.

"Eric, I'm serious." Maria whined. "My mom was twenty-five and unmarried when she had her first kid. Sound familiar? I've become my mother!"

"All right, that's it." Eric sat up and turned on the lamp next to the bed. "Babe, listen to me, I know I don't have any idea what you're going through right now. All I know is that it doesn't really matter that your dad never married your mom. You've said yourself that you don't even think of her as your mother. Yolanda's the one who raised you, and she and your dad seem like they have a really good marriage. And the truth is, they could have done a lot worse with you."

Maria sighed and leaned against him. "I know, you're right. It's just...I'm just in shock, I guess."

"I don't blame you." Eric admitted.

"You're amazing, you know that?" Maria sighed, moving onto his lap. "I know that loving me hasn't always been easy..."

"Not true." Eric countered. "Loving you is completely easy. Being in a relationship with you...well, okay, that's been a challenge at times. But hey, I happen to like challenges."

Maria shoved him playfully and climbed fully on top of him. "Well, the hardest part's over now."

Eric shook his head. "Not so fast, gorgeous. We still have to tell my family."

"Fuck." Maria sighed, slumping against him.

* * *

You see everything, you see every part  
You see all my light and you love my dark  
You dig everything of which I'm ashamed  
There's not anything to which you can't relate  
And you're still here

* * *

TBC...


	2. Chapter Two

Title: The Hardest Part (2/2)

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters (including Maria. She's made it quite clear that she owns her own damn self, thank you very much.) I'm just borrowing them and will return them when I've had my fun, somewhat dazed and disheveled, but otherwise in their original condition. Also, Maria and I have decided to keep Eric for a while, and we're sending Tim to Yana...

Rating: Uh...I dunno...there's some language...PG-13, I guess...

Pairings: Eric/Maria

Summary: "We have to tell them eventually. Might as well get it over with."

Feedback: Hey, you! Yeah, I'm talking to you! You're reading this, right? Well then review it! Come on, pretty pleeeeeease? It only takes a minute or two, and it makes my day. Besides, we both know you've got the time. What else are you going to do, work?

Dedication: Yana, for, as always, putting up with my crazy self. Jackie, Tina, Mel, Annie, Dorothy, Nonnie, and all my other loyal reviewers, what would I do without ya'll? I'll tell ya what; I'd stop writing! And that would suck. So, thanks!

Note: A few people have asked me about the stories that removed. (muttermuttergrumble) They aren't currently posted anywhere, but if you're interested in reading them (which I'd recommend since they are part of a series) my email can be found in my profile. Do keep in mind, they do contain graphic sex scenes, so let me know if you'd prefer to read an "edited" version.

Other Note: This fic is a detour from my series, but still a part of it, since I couldn't fit these scenes into "Cause and Effect," or into the next story, "Whoever Fights Monsters." It takes place about a month after the end of "Cause and Effect."

* * *

Eric was awake early the next morning, before the sun was up. As usual, Maria was unaffected by the alarm clock, and she barely stirred when he kissed her on the cheek before getting out of the bed. He showered and got dressed quickly, wrote a note for Maria, and left the apartment within thirty minutes.

It didn't take him long to drive to the small cafe that his sister, Rosa, owned with her husband. Rosa was the youngest of Eric's three sisters, only older than him by twenty-two months, and as a result they had been close as children. The lights were on, and Eric knew that Rosa and her husband, Miguel, would already be hard at work, preparing for the morning rush hour.

"Hey there, little brother." Sure enough, Rosa was behind the counter, looking unnaturally cheerful for such an ungodly hour. "You're up and about pretty early.

"Yeah, I wanted to get here before you guys got too busy." Eric replied, sitting down at in a booth. "I need to talk to you about something."

"Sounds serious." Rosa observed, bring a pot of coffee and two cups over to the table.

"It's about Maria." Eric began, taking the cup that his sister offered.

"Oh my God. What did you do now?" Rosa groaned. She had met Maria several times, and they got along well. "You gotta learn, Eric, Maria is a smart, gorgeous, classy woman. You can only screw up so many times before she realizes she's too damn good for you and dumps your ass."

"Relax." Eric told her. "I didn't do anything."

Rosa's face changed immediately. "Oh no, did that slut break your heart again? Eric, I swear, just tell me where the little bitch is and I'll-"

"Am I even a part of this conversation?" Eric interrupted. "She's pregnant."

That stopped Rosa dead in her tracks. "Wow." She managed to say after a moment.

Eric nodded. "Yeah, that's pretty much what I said..."

* * *

"So, wait, your parents-"

"Yeah, Tim, that's right." Maria sighed. "They never tied the knot. I'm a friggin' love child. But, you know something? I'm okay with it. Eric and I talked it out, and he helped me put things in perspective."

"And then he comforted you." Calleigh guessed, elbowing Maria playfully.

"Oh yeah, he comforted my brains out." Maria laughed.

"Okay, that part I didn't need to hear." Tim stated, shaking his head at the two women.

"So, where's Eric now?" Calleigh asked.

"He was gone when I got up, he left a note saying he had something to take care of before we talk to his folks later." Maria replied. She glanced past her friends and smiled. "Well, speak of the handsome devil."

Eric wrapped his arms around Maria's waist and greeted her with a soft kiss. "Hey. How are you feeling?"

"Same shit, different day." Maria sighed. "Can't even keep water down. But, now that I'm into the second trimester, that should clear up. Anyway, where have you been?"

"I went to talk to Rosa." Eric said. "She pretty much confirmed what I was already thinking, my parents are going to freak out completely. Catholics, you know?"

"Yeah, but on the plus side, it's not too likely that they're going to tell you that you're a bastard." Maria pointed out.

"Yeah, that's what Maria's family is for." Calleigh laughed. Maria just rolled her eyes. "Already heard that one, huh?"

"She didn't think it was funny when I said it, either." Eric told her. His cell phone rang at that moment, and he stepped away from the others to answer it.

"Hey, it's me." Rosa said as soon as she heard her brother's voice. "Are you at work?"

"Yeah." Eric replied. "What's going on?"

"I just wanted to give you a heads-up, mom's going to be stopping by to see you and Maria." Rosa said casually, and then, a little more sheepishly, "She wants to meet the mother of her future grandchild."

"Okay...wait, what?!" Eric said. "Fuck, Rosa, you told her? You swore you weren't going to tell anyone."

"It came up in conversation!" Rosa said defensively.

"How did it come up in conversation?" Eric asked.

"Mom stopped by for coffee, she said 'good morning,' I said 'guess who got his girlfriend in trouble.'" Rosa admitted.

"I am going to kill you." Eric seethed. "No, actually, I'm not, since I'd go to jail, and I'm not going to do that to Maria and my kid."

"Look, Eric, I know you're pissed." Rosa interrupted.

"No, I was 'pissed' when you showed those buck-naked baby pictures of me to my prom date." Eric corrected her. "I was 'pissed' all those times you ratted me out when I broke curfew...damn it, why did I trust you with this in the first place?"

"Hey, quit blaming me." Rosa snapped. "You're the one who knocked up your girlfriend."

"You're judging us?" Eric said. "You and Miguel were married for seven months when Cris was born."

"He was premature!" Rosa gasped. "It was a miracle that he didn't die!"

"He weighed almost eleven pounds, you lunatic." Eric scoffed. "The only miracle was that you didn't split in half."

"Um, Eric?" Maria said, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Just a second, babe." Eric said.

"Eric." A new voice cut in.

"Mom, I'm on the..." Eric turned around and saw his mother standing beside Maria. "Rosa? I gotta go." He closed his cell phone and took a deep breath. "Hi, Mom."

Tim cleared his throat. "Uh, hey, Cal, didn't we have to...?"

"Go do...something...yeah." Calleigh agreed. The two of them were out of sight in a second.

"So..." Maria began. "It's very nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Delko."

Clorinda Delko turned to the younger woman and studied her for a moment. "Maria, is it?" She finally said. "I always liked that name."

Maria smiled and visibly relaxed. "Thank you."

"And as for you." Clorinda said to her son. "What is wrong with you, not telling me that I'm going to have another grandchild? Maria, do me a favor, don't give him any for a few weeks."

"Deal." Maria laughed.

* * *

"So, how have you been feeling so far, Maria?" Clorinda asked.

"The morning sickness has been pretty bad." Maria sighed. "And not just morning, either."

"I had the same problem with all three of my girls." Clorinda said. She smiled at Eric. "This one, on the other hand, never gave me much trouble. Until after he was born, that is."

"Does Dad know about this yet?" Eric asked, unable to conceal his anxiety.

"No, Rosa only told me." Clorinda replied. "Well, and your grandmother. And Marisol and Daniela. And the young man with the lazy eye who works in the bodega next to the cafe."

"Great." Eric groaned.

"Eric, you underestimate us, especially your father." Clorinda assured him. "Your situation is less than ideal, and your father will be surprised, but he'll come around. He loves all of his grandchildren, we both do. We will love this one every bit as much. And I can already tell that we're going to love this young lady."

Maria smiled and blushed, but Eric was still skeptical. "Will you love the baby even if Maria and I aren't married yet when it's born? Because we might not be."

An uncomfortable silence engulfed the room, until Eric finally stood up and placed his hand on Maria's shoulder.

"Come on, Maria, let's get back to work." He said. Maria stood and left the room silently.

"Eric-" Clorinda said sternly.

"No, Mom, it's okay." Eric interrupted. "I understand. That's why we were nervous about telling you guys."

* * *

"She looked so..." Maria struggled to find the right word. "Disappointed." Hours had passed without hearing anything from Eric's family, but they both knew that would change sooner or later. "What's going to happen when your dad finds out?"

"Hard to say." Eric admitted. "He's barely spoken to me ever since I told him I wanted to be a cop. Said it was 'beneath me.' Eventually, I guess he just decided I was a screw-up. Who knows, maybe he won't even be surprised."

Maria felt sick to her stomach. She got up from the couch. "I'll be right back."

"Are you okay?" Eric asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Maria said quickly, bolting for the bathroom. For the first few weeks, Eric had tried to follow her, thinking she would want him to hold her hair for her and rub her back. He'd quickly learned just how wrong that assumption was.

When Maria returned to the living room a few minutes later, Eric was on the phone. From the look on his face, and the way he was pacing around, she could tell he was talking to his father.

"Because, like I said, she's not ready to get married yet, and I'm not going to push her to do something she's not ready for." He said impatiently. "Because I love her." He paused for a minute, and Maria could hear shouting on the other end of the line, although she couldn't make out any words. "She was married before, it didn't work out." Eric said, obviously responding to a question. He paused again, and this time, as he listened to whatever his father was saying, his entire face changed, darkened. "How can you say that? Even think it? You don't know her at all, and I guess you don't really know me, either." With that, he hung up the phone. He moved like he was going to pitch the cordless receiver across the room, then stopped and tossed it into a chair as he sat down on the couch.

"What did he say?" Maria asked, stepping fully into the room. She sat down beside Eric and took his hand. "Eric? What did your father say?"

Eric closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "He asked me how I can be sure that it's my baby." Maria tensed, and he pulled her close. "Maria, he's an idiot, he doesn't know what he's talking about."

"Obviously." Maria said. "Like you said, he doesn't know me. I just wish he knew you better. I've really messed things up for you with your family, huh?"

"You two are my family." Eric corrected her. "My folks will come around eventually, and if they don't, that's their loss."

Maria wasn't convinced. "Admit it, being with me has totally screwed up your life."

Eric kissed her deeply, tangling his fingers in her long hair. "You will never know," He said as he pulled away, "Just how much being with you has saved my life. If that's screwed up, I don't want to be normal." He kissed her again, until he felt her finally relax against him.

After a few minutes of just lying there, wrapped up in each other, Eric spoke again. "So, are you going to call your parents?"

"No." Maria sighed. "I know I shouldn't be so mad at them, but..."

"You just need some time." Eric finished for her. He slid his hand under her shirt and rubbed the spot where their baby was growing. "Looks like it's just the three of us."

"Yeah." Maria said sleepily, placing her hand over his. "Just the three of us."

* * *


End file.
